Cartridge feed device



July H4, 1936. H, RQMBERG 2,047,596

CARTRIDGE FEED DEVICE Filed May 25, 1954 ATI-m RN E w/ The invention relates to cartridge feeding Patented July 14,` 1936 CARTRIDGE FEED DEVICE Heinrich Romberg, Dusseldorf, Germany, assignor to Rheinische Metallwaarenund Maschinenfabrik, Dusseldorg, Germany, a corporation of Germany Application May 25, 1934, Serial No. 727,566 In Germany January 20, 1933 8 Claims. (Cl. 89-33) the ends of the cartridges in the holder.

mechanisms for automatic rearms of the kind having a sliding barrel and a longitudinally moving breech, in which the cartridges, disposed side by side in a cartridge holder in front of the barrel chamber are passed in sequence, by means of a conveyer slide adapted to be displaced transversely to the longitudinal axis of the weapon, into the vicinity of the breech block which l thrusts them from the cartridge ho-lder on the run out or forward movement, into the barrel chamber. In firearms of this kind as heretofore constructed the cartridge holder is advanced, in

synchronism with the succession of shots, and byr the movement of the barrel, through the mean distance between the axes of two cartridges, by means of a slide recprocated transversely to the gun incidentally to the recoil and run out movement of the barrel, which slide displ-aces the holder by means of pawls which are effective only in the direction of advance of the holder'.v

As the movement of the conveyer slide for the advance of the cartridge holder is derived from the movement of the barrel, While the removal of the cartridges from the holder is effected by the breech block during its running out movement, in the case of guns in which the barrel and breech block recoil are not positively connected with each other there is a danger of the running out barrel advancing the cartridges in the holder into the path of the breech block before the breech in its backward movement has quite freed the cartridge inlet into the breech chamber, that is to say when its front face has not yet arrived behind the line of the bases of the cartridges in the holder. Consequently these cartridges will be damaged or the breech jammed, whereby the operation of the gun is interrupted or even more serious disturbances may occur.

It is an object of the present invention'to overcome this drawback by subjecting the advance of the cartridges in the holder to a control by the movement of the breech block. According to the invention a conveyer slidedisplaced by the movements of the barrel operates the actual cartridge holder through flexible intermediate members which store energy derived from the movements of the barrel, including a spring, for example, the stored energy in which is released in dependency on the recoil position of the breech block, to complete the advance of the cartridge holder. The breech block frees the advance movement of the holder, or at least the movement over the last part of the feedrtrack, when the front face of the breech block arrives behind the plane of this purpose there is arranged in line with the conveyer slide a second auxiliary slide carrying a pawl for advancing the holder. The movement of this auxiliary slide, which is under the in- 5 fluence of the spring tensioned by the conveyer slide, is checked by a stop located in the path of the conveyer movement. Theabutment is moved by the breechblock into the position which frees the advance movement of the auxiliary slide 10 only when the breech has run back suiiciently far to permit unhindered adv-ance of the cartridges. The expanding spring is then able to thrust the auxiliary slide and the cartridge holder through'the appropriate feed distance. l5

The accompanying drawing illustrates an example of construction of a cartridge feed according to the invention.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section through the part of the gun 20. containing the cartridge feed device.

Fig. 2 shows a cross section through the conveyer slide housing along the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig.` 3 shows ahorizontal section through the conveyer slide housing along the line 3-3 of 25 Fig. 1

In the housing a of the gun there is mounted, in known manner,r the barrel c-asing h forming theextension of the barrel, and in the casing h the breech block c is slidably mounted.. The 30 cartridge feed device is accommodated in a boxlike housing ai having open transverse Walls for the passage of the cartridge holder d.

Transverse to the longitudinal axis of the gun there are mounted in the housing ai guides a2, 35 a2 in which the.V rigid cartridge holder d, which accommodates the cartridges P in sockets p1, is adapted to be displaced transversely to the gun through recesses on, corresponding to the crosssectiorr of the holder, formed in the housing 40 and in the barrel casing b (Fig. 2).V Above the holder d there are provided, transverse to the axis of the bore, longitudinal guides e1, e1 for the conveyer slides e, e arranged symmetrically in the housing a1. The slides e, e carry out, in 45 known manner, synchronous transverse movements from right to left and vice-versa, these movements being derived from the recoil vand run-out movement. For this purpose toothed racks e2, e2 formed on the back surface of the 50' conveyer slide e mesh with pinions f1, f1 mounted on a sleeve f itself rotatably mounted in the housing ai and arranged in the longitudinal direction ofthe gun. The lsleeve is rotated byV a. rodg mounted therein so as to be capable of 55 longitudinal displacementl and attached by an arm b1 to the barrel casing b, the said rod having a projection gi engaging in a helical groove f2 in the sleeve f during the backward and forward movement of the barrel.

In order to ,attain the object of the invention it is of fundamental importance that the feed movement of the two conveyer slides e, e should not directly produce the movement of the cartridge holder d. With this object in view in a recess in each conveyer slide e there is provided a spring i which bears at one end against the conveyer slide e, and on the other end against an auxiliary slide h adapted to be displaced in guides h1 formed in each slide e. The displacement of the auxiliary slide h inside the conveyer slide e in the direction of advance of the cartridges is limited by a pin es (Fig. 2). The auxiliary slide h carries on a bolt k1 a pawl 7c which is subjected to the constant downward pressure of aspring' k2, and whichVwhen in its downwardly. pivoted position, engages in recesses d1 in the holder d. These recesses d1 are spaced on the back of the holder d, the spacing corresponding to themean distance between the axes of two cartridges.

The head of the auxiliary slide h (see Fig. 3)

is of step-wise formation so that two shoulders h2 and h3 are formed. vThe'shoulder hzis adapted to cooperate with a stop m1 which, according Vto the position of the breech c, lies opposite the shoulder hz so as to protrude into its path or lies opposite to the shoulder ha. The breech actuates the stop mi in such a manner. that it will lie opposite the shoulder h2 whenever the breech, in its recoil movement, is not in position behind the base of the cartridges P in the holder d, the advance movement of the holder d then being stopped; but the stop m1 will lie opposite the shoulder h3, thus freeing the advance movement of the holder d, as soon as the breech c arrives behind the base of the cartridges. Two stops 'm1 are disposed on a control rod m mounted at the end of the housingrai and adapted to be displaced in the longitudinal direction'o-f the gun. The rod m is normally held by a spring n (Fig. 3)

in the position wherein the steps m1 obstruct theforward movement ofV the auxiliary slide h.v At the rear end of the control rod m which is forked and which protrudes from the housing a1 there 4engages a double-armed lever o pivotally mounted in the housing a of the gun, and the second arm of this lever protrudes into the path of a lug c1 on the breech c.V 'When the breech c, in its recoil movement, reaches a position in which its front face is approximately in line withrthe cartridge bases in the holder d, the lug ci strikesagainst the lever o and displaces the control rod m so far in the longitudinal direction of the gun that the. stops m1 come opposite to the shoulders h3 and the advance of the holder d into its end position is no longer hindered by the auxiliary slide h. The spring i expands and thrusts the auxiliary slide h and with it the next cartridge into the holder d in front of the cartridge inlet.

The mode of operation of the apparatus is as follows: Y Y

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 the car' tridges are conveyed from left to right in front of the breech. When the barrel and the breech are in the full run out or forward position, the conveyer slide e and the auxiliary slide h are in their extreme right-hand position. On firing a shot, the backwardly moving barrel and-V barrel casing b move the conveyer slide e by means-of I the transmission members b1, g and 91, ,fafa-'c2 into its left-hand position while at the same time the pin e3 carries along the auxiliary slide h. As the holder d, after each advance, is held firm in its advanced position by locking members not shown in the drawing; on the movement of the conveyer slide and the auxiliary slide into the left-hand end position, the pawl lc slides over the back of the holder d and falls into the next rearwardly disposed notch d1 of the holder d. On the subsequent run-out of the barrel and barrel casing b, the breech block c is still in the course of its recoil movement in the. barrel casing. If in this backward movement of the block c its front face has not yet passed beyond the line of the bases of the cartridges in the cartridge holder d, the forward feed movement of the holder d, ceases, and a feeding movement which has already begun is interrupted. The. first part of the feed path which is not blocked by the projection mi is determined by the distance of the projectionml from the shoulder h2 (Fig. 3). In `its feeding movement tothe right, the auxiliary slide h runs aga-inst the stop mi andthe holder'd and with it the cartridges is held back until the projection m1 is removed from the path of the shoulder h2, whereupon theV auxiliary slide h can continue its forward movement into Vthe end position under the influence of the spring i which in themeantime has been completelyv tensioned by the movement of the conveyer slide e. The. projection mi is removed from the path of h2 when the breech c has recoiled to such an extent that its front face lies behind the line of the cartridge bases, and the slide h, by the expansion of the springs i, moves the cartridge holder d into the correct end positionrfor loading. In'this manner the next cartridge is thrust into the path of the breech block which then runsV forward, and thereby removes it from the holder d and thrusts it into the barrel.

I claim: Y

1. In a cartridge feed mechanism for machine guns having a sliding barrel and a longitudinally movable breech -block Yadapted to,` thrust cartridges into the barrel chamber, theV combination with a cartridge holder having ratchetY teeth, of a conveyer slide driven by the barrel transversely to the vaxis thereof, a spring opposing movement of the conveyer slide in the cartridge feeding direction, an auxiliary slide between which and the conveyer slide said spring operates, a V-pawl on the auxiliary slide engaging the ratchet teeth on the cartridge holder, and a stop movable into and out of the path of the auxiliary slide and moved out of said pathby the breech block when it has recoiled suii'iciently to clearv the path lof feed of the cartridges- 2. Cartridge feed mechanism according to claim 1, in which the stop is actuatedby the breech block by means including a projection on the breech block and a lever pivoted to a .stationary part of the gun; Y Y

3. Cartridge feed mechanism according to claim 1, in which the barrel reciprocates the conveyer slide by means including rack teeth on'said slide, a pinion engaging said rack and mounted in a stationary part of the gun, and connections `between the barrel and the pinion for converting the to-and-fro movement of the barrel into an alternating rotation of the pinion.

, 4. In a cartridge feed mechanism for machine guns, a housing, a recoiling barrel mounted in the housing, a longitudinally movable breech block in the housing, a cartridge holderrmovable in the housing ina path transverse tothe vbarrel axis,

said cartridge holder having ratchet teeth thereon, a conveyer slide, transmission gear for reciprocating the conveyer slide in synchronism with the barrel movements, an auxiliary slide movable positively by the conveyer slide in the opposite direction to feed movement of the cartridge holder, a pawl on the auxiliary slide engaging the ratchet teeth of the cartridge holder, a spring between the auxiliary slide and the conveyer slide and arranged to be strained when the conveyer slide moves in cartridge feeding direction, a stop normally obstructing full movement of the auxiliary slide in said direction, and means actuated by the breech block when it has recoiled sufficiently to clear the path of the cartridge feed for moving said stop out of the path of the auxiliary slide.

5. In a cartridge feed mechanism for machine guns having a sliding barrel and a longitudinally movable breech block adapted to thrust cartridges into the barrel chamber, the combination with a cartridge holder of means operated from the barrel and capable of advancing the holder to bring the cartridges therein successively to the path of the breech block, said holder having a preliminary movement and a final movement in the cartridge feed direction, means for arresting movement of the holder at a predetermined point of its advance between the preliminary movement and the final movement, and means for releasing the arresting means which is operated by the breech block when in its recoil the breech block has cleared the path of feed of the cartridges.

6. In a cartridge feed mechanism for machine guns having a sliding barrel and a longitudinally movable breech block adapted to thrust cartridges into the barrel chamber the combination with a cartridge holder of means operated from the barrel and capable of advancing the holder to bring the cartridges therein successively to the path of the breech block, said holder having a preliminary movement .and a nal movement in the cartridge feed direction, means for blocking the .advance of the holder at a point between the preliminary movement and the final movement until the breech block has recoiled sufficiently to clear the feed path of the cartridges, and means operated by the breech block for releasing the blocking means for enabling the advance of the holder to be completed by energy derived from the barrel movement.

7. In a, cartridge feed mechanism for machine guns having a sliding barrel and a longitudinally movable breech block adapted to thrust cartridges into the barrel chamber, the combination with a cartridge holder of means operated from the barrel for partially advancing the holder to bring the cartridges therein to the path of the breech block, said holder having a preliminary movement and a final movement in the cartridge feed direction, means for storing energy from the barrel movement, and means operated from the breech block upon the latter reaching a position in its recoil clear of the path of feed of the cartridges to complete the final advance of the holder by energy from the storing means.

8. In a cartridge feed mechanism for machine guns having a sliding barrel and a longitudinally movable breech block adapted to thrust cartridges into the barrel chamber, the combination with a cartridge holder of means including an elastic member operated from the barrel for advancing the holder to bring the cartridges therein successively towards the path of the breech block, said holder having a preliminary movement and a final movement in the cartridge feed direction, means for arresting the holder at the point of its advance between the preliminary movement and the flnal movement with resulting storage of energy from the barrel in said elastic member, and means for releasing the arresting means which is operated by the breech block when in its recoil it has cleared the path of feed of the cartridges.

HEINRICH ROMBERG. 

